‘Star Trek’ and ‘Hawaii Five-0’ Writer and Producer Roberto Orci Passes Away!!

Roberto Orci, a renowned screenwriter known for penning some of the most notable sci-fi and action films of the last few decades, has passed away at the age of 51. Orci died at his home in Los Angeles today following a battle with kidney disease, according to his family. Orci leaves a legacy of some of the most notable film and television works in recent memory, including Xena: Warrior Princess, Star Trek, Hawaii Five-0, and more.

Orci “was a visionary storyteller with a boundless heart and a beautiful soul,” the writer’s brother, J.R. Orci, told Deadline in a statement confirming his death. “But beyond his creative talents, he was a compassionate friend who would put his life on hold to help a stranger and find room in his home for the most overlooked pup at the shelter.”

A native of Mexico City, Orci moved to the United States at a young age and began developing an interest in screenwriting. His first well-known job was as a writer on the iconic New Zealand fantasy series Xena: Warrior Princess, helping pen the adventures of Lucy Lawless’ fearsome protagonist, and also on the similarly heroic Hercules: The Legendary Journeys. Following this, Orci worked on several other well-known shows, most notably the Hawaii Five-0 reboot, as well as popular Fox series Sleepy Hollow and Fringe, the latter of which he co-created with J.J. Abrams and his longtime collaborator, Alex Kurtzman.

Orci Penned Numerous Sci-Fi Films

Beyond his television chops, Orci also became known for writing and producing some of the most high-octane sci-fi and adventure films of the past few years. The most notable of these is the 2009 reboot of Star Trek, the Abrams-directed reimagining of the classic space travel show; Orci would team up with Abrams again to co-write the sequel, 2013’s Star Trek into Darkness. Back on Earth, Orzi also wrote the screenplay for another Abrams-directed action film, Mission: Impossible III. All three films also involved Kurtzman.

Orci is also known for his collaborations with Michael Bay for the Transformers saga. Orci and Kurtzman had worked with Bay before on a prior film, The Island, and both helped write the script for 2007’s live-action Transformers, as well as the sequel, 2009’s Transformers: Revenge of the Fallen. Orci was also the screenwriter for films like The Amazing Spider-Man 2 and People Like Us.